


Cryptic Love

by lulumina



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Attempt at Humor, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Conspiracy, Conspiracy Theories, Crack Relationships, Crack Treated Seriously, Cryptozoology, Don't Examine This Too Closely, Falling In Love, Forbidden Love, Gay Keith (Voltron), Humor, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, I'll make one, Love Triangles, M/M, Mothman, Other, What Was I Thinking?, does keith x mothman have a ship name?, enjoy, humor?, idk - Freeform, if you treat this like a serious story kudos to you, keithman?, meeth?, meethman
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-05-15 15:08:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14792825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lulumina/pseuds/lulumina
Summary: Alternately Titled: A Keith x Mothman Crack Slowburn Romance Fic That Should Have Never Been WrittenKeith and his college buddies go on a weekend road trip to the 17th Annual Mothman Festival in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. A fun weekend is planned, but no one is more excited than Keith. When the gang gets and exclusive forest tour, no one is actually expecting to see the famed cryptid. But when Keith has an up close and personal encounter with the creature, he's thrown headfirst into a whirlwind romance with plenty of twists and turns along the way, including but not limited to: a heartbreaking love triangle, a deadly government conspiracy, and a totally surprising twist.aka: a fic i started as a joke but then actually cared about and continued. bon appetit.





	1. Chapter One

The ancient blue station wagon rattled down the road, catching on potholes and jostling the five teenagers inside. A boy wearing a yellow bandana sat in the driver’s seat, gripping the wheel, knuckles white. Everyone else was singing at the top of their lungs to the Whitney Houston blasting from the radio, with a slight change in the lyrics.

“Oh, I wanna dance with the Mothman! I wanna feel the heat with the Mothman! Ahh, I wanna dance with the Mothman! With the Mothman who looooves me!” 

As the song came to an end, everyone burst into laughter and sat back in their seats. Hunk switched the radio off and released a breath.

“Okay guys, enough of that. I  _ really _ don’t want to crash the car and kill everyone before we get to Point Pleasant.”

“Understandable. I think Keith would be devastated if he died before he could get a glimpse of the Mothman, anyway.” Lance joked, nudging the mulletted boy sitting next to him.

Keith rolled his eyes but let a chuckle escape. Lance was right- Keith knew every possible thing there was to know about the Mothman, and he would give his life just to catch a glimpse of the infamous cryptid.

“Hey, Shiro? How much longer until we get there?” Pidge asked, popping her head up from the backseat. 

Shiro, who was sitting in the passenger seat, checked his phone. 

“Says here that we’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

The backseat erupted in a series of whoops and cheers. 

“Excellent!” Pidge exclaimed. “That means now is the perfect time to go over our itinerary,” she whipped a piece of paper out from her pocket and cleared her throat. “First, we check in at the hotel. Then, we check out the Friday Night Kickstarter, which is the beginning of all the action! We should get there right as it’s starting. We spend some time there, grab something to eat, scope out the scene. Then we retire to our hotel and prep for the Mothman 5k the next morning! Sound good?” 

“It sounds great, Pidge- thanks for taking the time to map all of this out.” Shiro glanced over his shoulder and smiled.

“No problem! I’m glad that all of our schedules lined up, things are usually crazy the first few weekend of college,” Pidge said.

“How could we miss the first official get together of the West Virginia Cryptid Club?” Lance asked, grinning. 

“Kudos to Keith for learning about the Mothman Festival! Without you, we’d all be stuck at our dorms doing homework right now.” Hunk chimed in.

“Huh?” Keith was jostled out of his thoughts by Hunk’s callout. “Oh, yeah.”

Lance chortled. “Don’t mind Mullet, he’s just busy fantasizing about making out with Mothman,” Lance pantomimed embracing and kissing a large figure. “Oh, Mothman, wrap your huge feathery wings around me and let me drown in your piercing red eyes…” 

Keith felt a blush rise to his cheeks, and he socked Lance in the arm. “Shut up.”

“Ooh, Keith’s got a cruuuuush!” Pidge teased. “Lance, are you jealous?”

“Nah, what’s a huge feathery cryptid got that I haven’t? A massive tourism industry? I don’t think so,” Lance laughed. 

“Besides, we all know that Keith only has eyes for one person,” Pidge continued. “And he’s right here in this car.” 

“You’re damn right!” Lance said, hooking his arm around Keith’s shoulders. “And if Mothman ever tries to sweep you off your feet, I’m gonna give him a piece of my mind.”

They laughed and eased into an easy conversation about the events of the weekend. Lance’s arm felt like a weight on Keith’s shoulders. Keith smiled and laughed at the right moments, but his thoughts were clouded by the enticing possibility of meeting the legendary cryptid face to face. 

 

After the group had checked in and unpacked their stuff, they hit the streets of the Mothman festival. A stretch of the road had been blocked off for the event, and vendors choked the street. People in all kinds of costumes milled about, ranging from Ghostbusters to anime cosplay. A few people could be seen wearing full out Mothman suits and taking pictures with passerby. People were decked out in Mothman T-shirts, trucker hats, lanyards, keychains, and water bottles. Banners hung from the buildings proclaiming the festival’s many events, including a beauty pageant and a hayride. 

Keith clutched Lance’s hand in excitement and dragged him around to all the Mothman-centric booths, chatting excitedly with the vendors while the group looked on with amusement. Soon, the Mothman fervor spread to the others, and they quickly all sported matching Mothman T-shirts and rubber bracelets. 

A few hours later, Lance was snacking on a bag of kettle corn and watching Keith listen attentively to a woman sitting at a card table. The sign next to her said “Real Live Mothman Viewer! Ask me about my experience!” Keith had asked her to recount her whole experience, and she told it to him with the excitement of a child on Christmas. Keith was as excited as she was, if not more. He thanked the woman and turned to Lance, beaming. 

“Lance, I  _ have _ to meet Mothman. I can’t stand that so many people have seen him and I still haven’t!” Keith said.

Lance smiled. His boyfriend was so cute right now- his face was flushed with exhilaration and his hair was tousled from the wind. What added to his adorableness was the fact that he so avidly believed in the winged cryptid. He had been as long as Lance had known him. 

“Well, that’s good! I know how to help you there. Where’s everyone else?” 

The pair searched the festival for Shiro, Hunk, and Pidge. Hunk they found eyeing up a cotton candy vendor, and after they bought a cone for him, they found Pidge and Shiro browsing through a shelf of cryptid guidebooks. 

Pidge glanced up from her reading and squinted at the sky. “It’s getting dark. Should we go back to the hotel?” 

“Not quite yet,  _ mi amiga _ ,” Lance tutted. “I’ve got a little surprise for y’all!” Lance dug into his jacket pocket and withdrew five slips of paper, then handed them out for the group to read.

“‘Mothman Forest Tour… one time only event for friends of Lance?’” Shiro read.

“You betcha!” Lance said. “I’ve got a friend from high school who moved here and became a tour guide to pay for college. She usually guides the hay ride, but I put in a word that I was in town and she was happy to bend the rules a bit.”

“Wait, does that mean…” Keith started.

“Completely exclusive Mothman Forest tour for all of us! And it starts in…” Lance checked his phone. “Ten minutes! Knowing our guide, however, she’ll be here any second.” 

Keith hugged Lance hard. “Best. Boyfriend. Ever.” 

“I know, I know. Just promise me to not fall in love with the Mothman when you see him, okay?” 

They all laughed, but Keith felt the same uncomfy feeling he felt on the car ride there. 

He was saved from his emotions by a tall, slim girl walking towards them. Her bushy white hair was tied back into a ponytail, and she sported a “I believe in Mothman” T-shirt with the hem knotted at her waist. Her wrists were stacked with colorful friendship bracelets and golden bangles that jangled as she waved.

“Guys, this is my girl Allura. You’ve heard me talk about how awesome she is on multiple occasions. Allura, this is Pidge, Hunk, Shiro, and my boyfriend Keith,” Lance said. 

Allura shook hands with each of them with a warm smile. “I’ve heard so much about all of you! Lance is incredibly lucky to have such wonderful friends.” 

“Same with you!” Shiro responded.

Allura clapped her hands together, bracelets clinking. “Well! Who’s ready to go cryptid hunting?” 

 

Allura explained that her company had a van with all the gear they might need, and they would take that into the woods and then continue on foot. The six of them loaded into the van, with Allura driving, and took off into the woods. 

With every bump in the road, Keith felt his heart pound harder. Was he really going to meet the creature he had spent his whole life researching? He had so many theories, so many ideas. Would they be true? And of course, there was the possibility that Mothman didn’t actually exist at all. Keith preferred not to consider that option. He couldn’t stand the thought of all his information meaning nothing. 

As the minutes stretched longer, everyone’s mood became jumpy and excited. Here they were, six college kids, ready to delve into a forest at night and look for the creature told of in hundreds of stories. Who knows what mysteries awaited them!

Finally, the van lurched to a stop.

Allura crawled into the back and sat down cross-legged in the center. She grabbed a cloth bag and withdrew six flashlights and reflector vests. She handed each person theirs and slipped her own over her head. 

“We ready to go?” She asked, and on everyone’s affirmation, she unlatched the van’s back door and swung it open. They were met with a dark path, lit only by the interior light of the vehicle. The sounds of the night emanated from the trees- crickets chirped, wind rustled branches. 

The atmosphere was broken by Lance’s nervous laugh. “Wow, spooky!”

Keith was the second to hop out, right behind Allura. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s find Mothman!” 

Everyone followed suit, switching their flashlights on and sweeping the trees in search of a winged figure. 

Allura held up a hand. “Before we go, I’ve got a couple rules. Number one. Stay with the group. This is important. It’s dark, and we don’t want anyone getting lost in these woods- there have been reports of wolves in the area. 

“Number two. Keep your vests and flashlights on at all times. They’re key to locating you if you do get lost. 

“Number three. This one isn’t really a rule. If you get hurt, my company can’t be held accountable. Got all that?”

The group nodded their understanding and Allura smiled. 

“Great, then let’s go!”

Allura led them on a walking path, spouting Mothman trivia and telling stories of Mothman sightings over the years. Most of the group was listening intently, but Keith was too busy scanning the trees and the sky for a glimpse of the creature. 

They walked for a solid fifteen minutes, then Allura stopped them at the edge of a grassy clearing. 

“Now, this is the sight of the latest Mothman sighting. May ninth, 2017.  A boy named Harold Phelps was here with his girlfriend, Alice Wellbury. They were stargazing in the center of this clearing, when all of a sudden Alice pointed out a man-like creature swooping across the sky. She reported that it folded its wings and shot straight toward the ground, right where we are now. She saw its eyes glowing red, and then she fainted. Harold carried her back to the car, and they didn’t see the creature again.” 

“Mothman was... here?” Keith asked, awestruck. 

Allura smiled. “According to the eyewitness reports, yes.”

Keith didn’t have any words. He slowly turned in a circle, overcome with emotion. 

“Don’t start crying, now!” Lance warned, grinning in the glare from their flashlights. 

“Now, if you’ll follow me back along the path we came, I’ll show you to the site of the first ever Mothman sighting…” Allura led the group back the way they came, speaking in hushed whispers. 

Keith, however, stood rooted to the spot. He made no move to follow the group as Allura’s voice dwindled off into the trees. The group showed no sign of noticing Keith’s absence, perhaps thinking he was right behind them. 

Keith felt an urge to move forward, drawn toward the clearing. He slowly walked into the moonlight, feeling the pale glow wash over his face. 

Keith stood in the grass, feeling extremely calm. He knew something was about to happen- was it Mothman? Was he going to meet the cryptid at last? 

He shrugged off his vest and clicked off his flashlight, dropping both to the ground. He closed his eyes and heard the forest go completely silent. Keith felt a shadow cross his face, then slowly opened his eyes. A dark figure lurked at the edge of the tree line, with two brilliant red eyes suspended roughly eight feet above the ground. 

Keith gasped. It was him. It was really him. The Mothman was real, and he was standing less than ten feet from Keith. Unless someone was playing a prank on him?

“Lance?” Keith whispered. “Is that you?” He waited. No reply. He tried again. “Haha, Lance, very funny. Now come out of there.” Still no reply. The red eyes remained unblinking. What was he supposed to do?

“I’m not going to hurt you…” Keith said, a little louder. “Mothman, if that is you… you can come out here. The tour group is gone.” The creature didn’t move. Keith mentally slapped his forehead. Mothman was a cryptid, he obviously wouldn’t understand English. 

So how could he communicate?

Keith thought for a second. He remembered going over to Pidge’s house with the group last Thanksgiving. Pidge had a dog named Gunter, and she instructed Keith to approach him crouched down with an open palm. That would allow Gunter to smell Keith in at his own pace, without feeling threatened.

Hoping dogs and Mothman were alike, Keith slowly knelt down and extended his hand, palm up, fingers trembling. He waited for a moment of unbearable silence.

Mothman crept forward, ever so carefully. The moonlight was cast onto each part of his furry body, bit by bit. His muscular hind legs, his strong arms and hands, his sculpted torso… all covered in black fur. Two powerful wings sat folded up behind the creatures back, dusted in a velvety pelt. His head was large and round, with a thick collar of gray fur around the base. He had two antennae-like extensions protruding from his skull, the only part of his body that had feathers. They tapered near the top, and currently stood straight upright, quivering in the breeze.

And finally, the grand fromage, glowering from the center of the cryptid’s furry visage— two huge, glowing scarlet eyes.

Keith’s heart pounded like a herd of elephants on the savanna. He remembered stories from scouring cryptid hunter websites late at night— tales of people driven mad by making eye contact with the infamous creature. These people were cursed with hallucinations, fits of extreme violence, and crippling paranoia. Keith struggled to not look directly at Mothman’s haunting eyes, instead focusing on his furry chest. 

Mothman crept closer, and Keith soon caught wind of the creature’s scent as the breeze picked up, a sickly sweet combination. He smelled of evergreens and damp earth, with hints of a natural, rich musk— and something else, something not of this world, that Keith couldn’t quite put his finger on. 

Now Mothman was less than ten feet away, and creeping ever closer. His massive head craned downward, and he approached Keith while staring at his outstretched hand. He lowered his head, slowly, slowly, and rested his furry forehead in Keith’s open palm. 

Keith took a sharp intake in breath. Mothman was _touching_ _him._ Most cryptid hunters would give their right arm to catch even a glimpse of the creature, and here he was having _voluntary_ _contact_. 

Mothman trembled slightly, and Keith could feel a quiet humming within the creature, almost like a vibration. 

Was Mothman… purring?

Keith couldn’t move. He was awestruck. This monstrous creature of legend, infamous for driving people to insanity, of glowing red eyes and terrifying demeanor… seemed like he wanted to be petted.

Mothman lifted his head, and before Keith could move away, looked directly into Keith’s eyes. 

Purple met red. 

Keith was transfixed. He gazed deep into the crimson pools and felt a feeling of extreme calm. The crimson pools gazed back, swirling with unspoken emotion. Is this was madness felt like? If it was, maybe Keith didn’t mind being insane. 

The moment was broken almost immediately. Mothman’s head shot up, breaking Keith’s trance. The creature unfolded its gargantuan wings and shot directly into the air, then soared away over Keith’s head. The force from the takeoff knocked Keith backwards, and he fell with a thump onto his back. Moments later, Keith heard Lance’s voice through the trees.

“Keith? Keith! Where are you, man?” Lance sounded scared. 

Keith opened his mouth to shout back, but all that came out was a hoarse whisper. He cleared his throat and tried again. “I’m here!”

“Keith!” Lance was the first to break through the trees. He glanced around and saw Keith on the ground. Lance was at his side in an instant, brushing leaves out of his hair and holding his face in his palms. 

“Keith, what happened? Are you okay? What’s the matter?” Lance asked, frantically checking Keith’s body for injuries.

“I’m  _ fine _ ,” Keith snapped, then saw the hurt in Lance’s eyes. “Sorry. I’m fine, I promise. I’m okay.”

The rest of the group followed behind. Keith’s friends looked concerned. Allura looked exasperated. 

“Three rules, and you’ve managed to break two of them!” She said, pointing at his dropped vest and flashlight. “Don’t tell me you’re injured, too.”

“No, I’m fine,” Keith promised. “Just shaken.”

“What happened?” Lance asked, peering into his eyes. 

“Um…” What was he supposed to say? That he had seen Mothman? Not only seen, but touched and connected? No. Even if they did believe him, he would never hear the end of it. “I, uh, saw a really big owl in the trees and I thought it was Mothman. I was being stupid.”

“Then why are you on the ground?” Pidge asked.

“Oh, it, um, hooted, and I got spooked and I fell backwards,” Keith lied, cringing at the obvious falsehood of his own words.

“And you sat here for half an hour?” Allura asked.

“Yea- wait, what?” Half an hour? It had only seemed like a few moments. He saw Mothman, Mothman touched his hand, they looked into each other’s eyes- it couldn’t have possibly taken half an hour.

“We’ve been looking for you for thirty minutes! We thought you were with us the whole time, until Lance noticed you were missing. We retraced our steps, and found you here.” Shiro explained.

“I guess I must have fainted or something?” Keith said.

Lance cocked an eyebrow. “You fainted, huh? Because you heard an owl?”

Keith nodded.

No one really seemed to believe Keith’s lie, but collectively decided to drop the matter. 

“It’s getting late. I think we’ll have to head in.” Allura said, glancing up at the clouds. A light rain was beginning to fall, and the temperature was dropping.

Lance helped Keith off the ground, watching him carefully. 

“You sure you’re okay? You seem different.” Lance whispered.

“I’ll tell you later.” Keith whispered back, giving a look that said  _ drop it. _ He scooped up his vest and put it back on, struggling to fasten it.

Lance grabbed Keith’s hand, tracing his palm with his thumb. It was a comforting gesture, but it also made him realize that his hands had been shaking. 

Lance gave the back of Keith’s hand a light kiss, and they followed the group back down the path to the van.

 

Back in their hotel room, Lance and Keith sat on the bed. They had both showered, washing all traces of the forest off of their bodies. Lance had the TV remote, and he was flicking through the channels mindlessly. His other hand was running its fingers through Keith’s damp hair, whose head was in Lance’s lap. Every once and a while, Lance would lean down and pepper Keith’s face with light kisses.

It was something Keith had discovered a few weeks after they had started dating, the winter semester of last year. For all his flirty and confident show, Lance was actually a softie at heart. His favorite thing to do was touch Keith’s hair, which he had shamelessly ridiculed the first few months of school. He still teasingly called Keith “mullet”, but now it was out of love rather than spite.

Lance stopped at the History Channel and muted it, then tossed the remote onto the bed.

“Why did you mute it?” Keith asked. “Ancient Aliens is on.”

“Because, I want to talk about today,” Lance explained. “I know it wasn’t an owl that you saw tonight in the woods.”

“How do you know that?” Keith said defensively.

“Because you wouldn’t be spooked by an owl. And you definitely wouldn’t faint because of one. You don’t scare that easily,” Lance said. “So, what really happened?”

“You won’t believe me.” Keith mumbled. 

“Sure I will!” Lance said, ruffling Keith’s hair. “Spit it out.”

Keith debated his options. He could lie and deny, weaving a more believable story. Lance was gullible and could probably fall for a real-sounding fib. But lying always made Keith uncomfortable, and he didn't want to keep any secrets from his boyfriend. Or Keith could tell the truth. Lance may laugh at him, but Keith doesn't do a whole lot of joking, and Lance would have to believe him eventually...

“Fine. I… saw Mothman.” 

“Funny, I knew you would say that. What really happened?”

“No, Lance. I really did. I saw Mothman. He was in the woods, then he came into the clearing, and I touched him, and…” 

“And then you had passionate furry gay sex with him. I'm serious, Keith! What really happened?”

Keith sat up abruptly, grabbed Lance’s wrists, and looked straight into his eyes. 

“I'm being one hundred percent serious, Lance. I. Saw. Mothman. I touched his head, I looked into his eyes, then he flew away. And then you guys showed up. Please believe me.”

Lance’s smile slowly melted from his face after realizing Keith wasn't joking.

“No way…” he said in a rough whisper.

“Yes way. It was freaky and terrifying, yeah, but also so… amazing. I don't really know how else to describe it.”

Lance shook his head. “Man, that's crazy. I trust you, but wow… I had no clue he actually was real. I still don't quite believe it.” 

“I was doubting too, until  _ that _ happened. I still don't know how to go on from here or approach this whole situation. I don't even know why he showed up for me. All I know is that I have to see him again. And this time I want you to come along.”

Lance’s cocky grin returned slowly. “Are you inviting me on a cryptid hunting trio date with Mothman? Because by the sound of this situation, we'll all be fucking by tomorrow night.”

Keith grabbed the nearest pillow and chucked it into Lance’s face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance discuss the Mothman event. The Mothman 5k gets a furry surprise.

The next morning, Keith awoke to Lance in a Mothman mask, less than an inch away from his face. Keith shouted and scrambled backwards on the bed as Lance erupted into a fit of laughter, clutching his stomach and gasping for breath. Keith scowled and dove back under the covers, basking in the warmth for a few moments longer.

“Fuck you,” he mumbled from under the blanket.

“You wish!” Lance chuckled. “I bet Mothman wouldn't mind getting a piece of you either.”

“Lance!” Keith groaned. “I knew I shouldn't have told you. You're just making it into a big joke.”

“Ok, ok, sorry. No more Mothman sex jokes until after breakfast,” Lance said. He removed the mask and set it on the bedside table, then joined Keith under the covers, settling comfortably into the big spoon position. Keith melted into the added body warmth, and Lance smiled into Keith’s neck and placed a series of gentle kisses on his skin.

They spooned comfortably for a few heavenly minutes until they heard a knock on the door and a familiar voice.

“Guys, time to get up! The 5k starts in an hour!” Pidge shouted. “Meet us in the commons downstairs.”

“Okay!” Lance shouted back, and threw back the covers.

“Nooooo….” Keith groaned, trying to pull Lance back in bed.

“Mullet, you heard Pidge. The race is in an hour and I haven't even started my skincare routine. Plus, we still need to eat something.” Lance padded to the bathroom and Keith heard the water begin to run.

Half an hour later, the two boys joined the rest of the group in the commons area for breakfast. Keith wanted waffles, but Lance made him eat a banana instead.

“You can’t load up on carbs this close to a race!” Lance scolded, grabbing an apple from the same bowl and taking a huge bite. “You’ll throw up before the first mile.”

Keith grumbled but peeled the fruit and munched on it half heartedly- he was still miffed that he didn’t get as much cuddle time as he had wanted that morning.

As Pidge spooned yogurt into her mouth, she laid out the plan for the day.

“Okay, guys. In a few minutes we have to take our places for the 5k. After that, I say we hit the town and hang out, find a place to eat lunch, then visit the Mothman Museum and statue? Then we can chill at the hotel until night, when I’ve signed us up for the Mothman Hayride Tour.”

Hunk nodded and chomped into his bagel. “Sounds good to me.”

Everyone finished up their food and headed outside to prepare for the race. A nice lady with a ponytail gave each of them a paper sign with a number on it in block lettering, which they fastened to their shirts. Shiro spotted Allura chatting with a few friends and headed over to say hi. The street was filled with people in running clothes, stretching and taking swigs from water bottles. Keith spotted quite a few people in full-on Mothman suits among the runners. Man, did this town love their resident cryptid.

Lance sidled up to Keith and began stretching as well. “So, tell me what Mothman looks like. Is he really ripped, or does he have, like, a beer belly?”

“He was ripped, I guess, but covered in fur. At least, I think it was fur. He was just… solid. Intimidating, I guess. His eyes were really freaky, deep red and glaring. It was like they could take one look at you and see everything inside your soul. But he also seemed so vulnerable… like he knew he was big and scary, and he didn’t like that he was viewed in that way.” Keith explained, struggling to find the right words to describe his experience.

“Hm, okay, okay. So you’d describe him as an absolute unit?”

“What?”

“An absolute unit,” Lance repeated, holding back a laugh. “Beefy and strong? A lad you’re in awe at the size of. You know.”

“No, I really don’t know. But please don’t explain it, I’ll just get confused. You’re confusing sometimes.”

“Maybe I am… but you still love me, Mullet.”

“Oh, shut up,” Keith groaned.

“Never,” Lance shot back, bending his head to kiss Keith’s forehead.

_“Runners, please take your places!” _A voice announced from somewhere in front of them.__

___“Ready… Set… Go!” ____ _

____Everyone took off. Keith had ran track in high school, so he knew how to pace himself. He kept a steady pace next to Lance, feet pounding the pavement rhythmically. It was nice, focusing on the running and not worrying about Mothman or what had happened with him. That is, until a shadow crossed his eyes and he looked up to see a winged figure soaring across the sky._ _ _ _

_____No… It can’t be. ____ _ _ _

______People stopped to point and peer up at the creature. Someone shouted, _“Marry me, Mothman!” _Keith knew they were joking, but he couldn’t help but feel… jealous. It was him who had been approached by the cryptid, him who had had that tender moment of connection. Not this rando competing in a race. Besides, how could that thing be Mothman? He so rarely let himself into the open, much less on his most popular weekend of the year. It was probably a hawk or someone’s off-course kite.___ _ _ _ _ _

________“Keith… What is that?” Lance asked, staring in awe up at the swooping creature. It was coming closer now, and it was most definitely alive and much too large to be a bird. “Is it Mothman? Please tell me it’s Mothman.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I don’t know,” Keith replied, frowning. “I hope it isn’t. It’s dangerous out here in the open.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________People were already whipping out their phones to snap photos, chattering amongst themselves._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Allura jogged up to them with a bullhorn. “That person needs to get down here right now. It’s a worthy impersonation, but so clearly just a guy in a wingsuit. He’s putting himself in danger, not to mention interrupting the race.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Allura, are you sure?” Lance asked. “That looks pretty realistic to me.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“So, what? He’s probably a professional cosplayer. Nevertheless, he needs to come down here,” She raised the bullhorn and spoke into it, directing her words to the sky. “Sir, you need to touch down immediately. You’re causing a panic. I repeat, return to the ground immediately!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Keith watched as the creature continued to bob and flit about in the air. “Allura… That’s no cosplayer,” A plan started to form in his mind. “Lance, come with me.” He grabbed Lance’s hand and ran to the nearest building, a place called the Lowe Inn. Keith ignored Allura's shout of confusion behind them. They hurried into the lobby and went directly to the elevator, where Keith punched the fourth floor button. Lance squeezed Keith’s hand and leaned against the door._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Okay, Keith. Why are we in a hotel? Did you have a sudden urge to sleep or have sex or something?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“No. You’ll see. Shut up and trust me.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Allllllllllllrighty then,” Lance muttered. “God, you’re so impulsive.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The elevator dinged to signify their arrival, and the doors slid open. Keith bolted down the hallway, where a red-lit sign read, “ROOF EXIT, DO NOT ENTER UNLESS AUTHORIZED.” Keith jiggled the handle. Locked. Of course._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Gotcha covered!” Lance chimed in, holding up a bobby pin from his pocket. He inserted it in the lock, jiggled it around, and smoothly turned the knob to open the door._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I love you, babe,” Keith declared, kissing Lance swiftly on the lips._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“No prob. You know, ever since I was a rogue that one time we played D &D with Coran, I’ve been very good at locks and tricks and stuff,” Lance boasted, following Keith up the stairs. “It’s kinda my thing now.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Keith didn’t respond. He threw open the final door and burst out into the sunlight, scanning the skies for his cryptid. There he was, still swooping above the buildings. Keith ran to the edge and waved his arms, trying to catch Mothman’s attention._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________It worked._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The fuzzy creature turned in the air and headed down to the building’s roof to meet Keith. People noticed and began rushing into the hotel._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Mothman was just as breathtaking the second time. He handed with a heavy beating of his wings on the edge of the building, large red eyes peering intensely at Keith._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Hey, buddy, why are you here? You gotta go, you gotta go back to where you came from. You’re not safe here.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The Mothman made a sound like brakes screeching, warbled and shrill. He beat his wings again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Hey, it’s okay! I can help you. But we have to go _now. _”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Keith glanced behind him to see Lance frozen, jaw dropped._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Oh. My. Fucking. God. He’s real. He’s right here, Mothman is real and he’s in front of me right now and he’s so fucking ripped and strangely hot and oh my God-” Lance stammered, going completely pale._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Lance, I need you to stay calm. Mothman isn’t safe here with all these people coming. They’ll be here soon and we need to go now.” He turned his attention back to the cryptid. “This is my… friend, Lance. He’s not going to hurt you, I promise. Now please, go.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Mothman shook his head vigorously and made the screech again, staring intently into Keith’s eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Do you want me to come with you?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Mothman leaned down and spread his wings. Keith took that as a yes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Come on, Lance.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Are you serious? You want me to ride on the back of it?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Come on. Please try to work with me here.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Fine, fine. I will.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Lance tentatively approached the cryptid. Mothman recoiled as Lance grew closer, but settled down when Keith put a gentle hand on his head._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Lance is with me, buddy. It’s ok.” Keith hooked his legs around Mothman’s shoulders, settling in the space between his wings and his shoulders, his legs slotting under the creature’s armpits. He gently wrapped his arms around Mothman’s neck. Lance sat behind him, hooking his arms around Keith’s waist._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Keith could feel the sturdy muscle of Mothman’s back and shoulders, marveling at how strong the cryptid was. _Lance was right. He was an absolute unit. _Mothman used his powerful arms to grab ahold of Keith’s legs, acting as another method of security.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Okay, bud. Take us where you need to go.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Keith felt Mothman’s legs crouch, acting like a springboard. Right before he launched off from the rooftop, a crowd of people came pouring from the exit door, shouting and holding their phones. A chorus of terrified and surprised shouts drowned out the purring from the massive cryptid. He released the built up energy from his legs and shot into the sky, leaving the mass of screaming people far behind as they climbed closer to the morning sun._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


End file.
